


Resounding Silence

by Mertiya



Series: The Resounding Cycle [1]
Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Feels, Homophobia, M/M, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Pretty painful, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 07:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2380487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertiya/pseuds/Mertiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Early in his college career, Jace Beleren attends a meeting of the LGBTQA association at his school.  Talking to a new friend brings old wounds to the surface.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Resounding Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the following prompt:  
> Imagine your OTP being sent to a boarding school that’s supposed to “cure” them. 
> 
> Person A and B end up having classes together, and despite the atmosphere, fall for each other, resulting in having to keep their relationship secret. 
> 
> This includes only holding hands when adults aren’t looking, and hooking up in each other’s rooms, trying to keep absolutely quiet.

"I’m bisexual."  It’s the first time Jace Beleren has said those words in his life.  He called himself ‘gay’ for a little while, after he got away on his own, but it didn’t really suit.  Before that, the words he used were "broken" and occasionally "fucked up."

The dark-haired girl beside him smiles.  ”Me too,” she says, with a little flounce of her hair.  She might be flirting with him, but Jace isn’t sure.  He doesn’t know Liliana very well, just met her at the last club meeting.  This is the first time he’s speaking to anyone here, and he feels scraped-out and vulnerable, and hides himself deeper in his blue hoodie.

Jace licks his lips.  Somebody else is talking now, bemoaning how awful high school was, how much they were bullied.  It sounds pretty bad.  Liliana turns to him and asks, “How was your high school, Jace?  Was it bad there too?”

 _You have no idea_ , Jace wants to say, but instead, he just shrugs and nods.  ”Pretty bad,” he says.

He knows this is a safe space, but he’s still not sure he can talk about it.  Would anyone even understand?  And how did you bring it up?   _My father and mother sent me to a boarding school to ‘cure’ me._

He doesn’t want to think about it, but the images are starting up anyway.

_"There’s something wrong with you, Jace, and we need to fix it."_

_"Here at Highridge, we take your potential very seriously, and it’s important that we fix any mental health issues that you might have."_

_The sudden face of a dark-haired boy across the hallway, Jace blushing and looking away, the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he knows he’s not cured._

Liliana adopts an interested expression.  ”You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she says carelessly, but her eyes are curious.

Oh, what the hell.  ”I was at Highridge,” Jace mumbles.  He knows most of the people here will have heard about it—it was on the news a few years ago, when they shut it down.  Liliana’s face freezes in disbelief and pity.

"Oh my god," she says.  Jace looks away.  He doesn’t like seeing that look in her eyes.

_He tries to avoid the boy at first, but it doesn’t work.  Their dorm rooms are across the hall from each other.  He tries to slip in and out without being noticed, but one day the boy is waiting for him, leaning on the doorjamb outside._

_"Beleren, do you find my face repulsive?" he asks cheerfully._

_"N-no," stammers Jace and tries to slip past into his room._

_"Because I feel like you’re avoiding me."  
"No, I’m not!" Jace protests, feeling like a fool._

_"Well, given that you pretended not to hear when I asked you to borrow a pen in class today…"_

_Jace flushes.  ”Look—I just don’t think I should be around you too much,” he says ruefully, even though part of his brain is screaming ‘what are you doing?’_

_"Oh, is it like that?" asks the boy with another smirk.  "The name’s Ral Zarek, by the way."_

Jace clears his throat.  ”It was about as bad as you’d imagine,” he says, somewhat distantly.  ”I—got involved with someone there.”

_Ral’s lips on his are exactly what he’s imagined, but the sensation of shooting sparks is unexpected.  The hunger for more in the pit of his stomach—the bursting feeling of walking on clouds—those can’t be wrong.  They just can’t be._

Liliana winces.  ”Fuck,” she breathes.  ”What happened?”

Jace gives her a somewhat brittle smile.  ”We got caught,” he says.

_They’re in Jace’s bed, Ral behind him, one hand sliding down Jace’s naked front.  Ral’s erection is hot and hard between Jace’s thighs, and Jace moans sharply, bucking into Ral’s hand._

_"Quiet," hisses the other boy, and Jace tries, biting his lips until they bleed, but it’s not enough.  The noises keep slipping out, gasps and sobs, and finally Ral puts his hand over Jace’s mouth, so he’s covering Jace, top and bottom, and it’s beautiful.  Ral buries his own mouth in Jace’s shoulder, whining and gasping as he climaxes._

_He pants for a moment and then goes back to urging Jace along, murmuring in his ear, “Have I mentioned that you’re electrifying, Beleren?”_

_Jace laughs, the laughter muffled against Ral’s palm, a breathy laugh that turns to a groan, and then the door opens and the light comes on, and their world falls apart into shards of glass._

"Jeez," Liliana says helplessly.  "What happened?"

 _They left me with Tezzeret_ , Jace thinks, but doesn’t say, wonders how he can possibly explain to someone who wasn’t there.  His parents probably hadn’t intended it when they sent him there, but he doesn’t know for sure.  Finally, mutely, he peels up the back of his hoody and the t-shirt beneath and turns around to show Liliana his back.  She makes a horrified noise.

"Jesus Christ," she breathes.  Jace lets her look for a moment, then pulls the hoody back down and sinks into it, tugging it over his face.

"I’m okay," he says.  "Most of the time.  I get nightmares occasionally, but I’m okay."

Liliana gives him an  _I-don’t-really-know-how-to-process-this_  look, but she smiles after it.  ”I’m glad,” she says quietly.

Jace doesn’t add,  _I’m okay physically.  I’ve recovered mentally.  It’s taken a few years, but I’m going to be all right.  Except…_

Except he has never seen Ral again.  He has no idea what  happened to him, doesn't even know if he is still alive.  Has no idea how to find out.  He’s tried googling him, but all that came up was a now-defunct Facebook page, from before the two of them met.

 _Ral_ , Jace thinks.   _Are you still out there?   Are you looking for me?_

Because—he might as well admit it—it's why he's here.  He comes to the club in the faint hope that somebody, somewhere, knows something about what happened to the only person Jace has ever loved.  It's stupid, he knows.  But it's all he has.


End file.
